Shimura Danzō

Hokage Office Building.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in."

The office door slowly opened, and a stern-looking middle-aged man in a white kimono and wooden sandals walked in.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up. Seeing that it was his old partner, Shimura Danzō, he unusually set aside the documents in his hand and walked over to sit in the reception area.

Taking the time to light his pipe, he asked, "Danzo, what brings you here today?"

Ever since Hiruzen had become Hokage, Danzo had asked him for funding and begun establishing Root. Aside from coming out when funds were insufficient, he normally never set foot outside Root.

He picked up the Hokage Building notice in his hand and pointed at the young man on it. "Why did you suddenly take on another disciple?"

"You mean Yūske? That child is a good prospect." At the mention of Yūske, the smile on Hiruzen's face never faded.

"I looked through the child's records. They're utterly ordinary. What exactly caught your eye?" Danzo asked curiously. He refused to believe his old friend had such low standards when taking in a disciple.

At this point, Danzo had yet to secretly attempt to assassinate Hiruzen, so Hiruzen was not yet on guard against him.

"That child suddenly awakened a special Kekkei Genkai. I've reviewed a great deal of material these past few days, but found no record of it."

"What kind of Kekkei Genkai?"

"Thread!"

"Thread?"

Danzo pointed at his clothes in confusion.

Seeing Hiruzen nod with certainty, Danzo's expression gradually twisted before he burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha..."

"Hiruzen, are you planning to train him to contribute to Konoha's textile industry?" Danzo mocked Hiruzen.

Hiruzen simply watched Danzo laugh for a while. Once Danzo, who had nearly laughed himself breathless, finally recovered, Hiruzen spoke.

"Jiraiya tested him. Without revealing his identity, he was forced into a desperate situation by Yūske."

"Nani?" Danzo's eyes widened before a disdainful expression appeared on his face. "By relying on that limp little thread of his?"

"Who told you thread has to be limp and soft?" Hiruzen retorted irritably.

"Then tell me how their battle went." Danzo assumed an attentive posture.

"This happened, then that happened."

Hiruzen told Danzo about the course of the battle between the two, leaving Danzo with an incredulous expression.

"Indeed, I've never heard of an ability like his. Could it be a Kekkei Genkai he developed himself?"

"From what I understand, probably not."

Hiruzen then told him about how he had discovered Yūske training his Kekkei Genkai.

"Judging from how unskilled he was at first, it really doesn't seem like he developed it himself. Could his ancestors have once been a Bloodline Family that gradually declined?"

Danzo stroked his chin, as though he had already come close to the truth.

"Hiruzen, why not hand this child over to me? Let me train him. Rest assured, I'll definitely cultivate him into a ninja no less capable than you or me." Danzo grabbed Hiruzen by the shoulders and sprayed him in the face.

"Danzo, the master-disciple relationship between Yūske and me has only just been established. I truly cannot meet your request. Besides, what kind of place is your Root? If I handed him over for you to train, Yūske would ultimately become nothing more than an emotionless killing machine."

After wiping his face, Hiruzen sternly refused Danzo.

"I..." Danzo was just about to argue.

"Enough. Do you think I know nothing about what you've been doing? How is your method of training any different from Kirigakure's? A group of children slaughtering one another until only a single victor remains. I promised you I wouldn't interfere with Root, but that doesn't mean you get to reach your hand over to my side."

Hiruzen had not wanted to bring it up, but Danzo had pushed too far and was now meddling with his disciple.

"They're only orphans. Even if I didn't take them in, they would starve to death sooner or later. Besides, I do this only to sever Root members' emotions. Only then can they act without being restrained by feelings," Danzo argued loudly.

"Besides, you are the Hokage who walks in the sunlight. There are many things that are inconvenient for you to do. Only I, the Root in the shadows, can do them for you. Everything I do is for the village."

"Even if they are orphans, that does not excuse Root's twisted selection system. How could I possibly hand my own disciple over to you?" Seeing that he could not persuade Danzo, Hiruzen played his trump card.

"You said it yourself. I am the Hokage!"

Danzo was left speechless. He was once again disappointed in this overly soft-hearted Hokage. He gazed at the chair behind the desk. Once, he had come infinitely close to that position. But because he had spoken one step slower than Hiruzen, Hiruzen had beaten him to it. In the end, Hiruzen lived in the sunlight and received everyone's respect, while he was nothing more than a stinking bug in the gutter.

Suppressing his emotions, he lifted his foot and slowly walked to the door. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and said to Hiruzen, "Hiruzen, one day, you will regret this."

Then he yanked the door shut with a bang and left without looking back.

Inside the Watanabe Family's Barbecue Restaurant.

Under the orders of his wife, Meiko, Yūske's father perfectly prepared two tables of delicious dishes. Then he went upstairs to wake Yūske.

When he opened the bedroom door, he found the room empty, with only a note left behind.

"On a mission!"

Yūske's father, having failed in his task, could only bring this news to report to Meiko.